NFL insider Albert Breer has made a big claim about contract negotiations between the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson. 

The Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson are both entering into the final, crucial stages of contract negotiations that have been going on for a large part of the offseason, and have to some extent dominated the headlines when it comes to the Ravens and their preparation for the 2022 NFL season. 

The Ravens are looking to lock down a quarterback who has almost single-handedly changed the face of the organisation and certainly revolutionised their offense, putting up a total of 13,640 yards both in the air and on the ground whilst providing a total of 106 touchdowns since making his debut in 2018, even going so far as to win league MVP back in 2019. 

Jackson on the other hand is seeking financial security and the money that he feels that he deserves after becoming the face of their franchise and one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks that the league has seen in some time.

Time ticking away

Despite a lot of back and forth between the two sides this offseason, including Jackson skipping part of the team’s offseason work, the two sides have yet to come to an agreement over the deal and they are running out of time to do so, with Jackson stating that he wants everything to be wrapped up before Week 1 of the regular season. 

However, according to Breer, this all could have been avoided, as he claims this matter possibly could have been resolved last year. 

Missed opportunity?

Writing in his column for SI.com, Breer revealed that Jackson was offered a staggering $43m a year back in 2021, a deal that would have matched the contract handed out to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in the same year, before explaining a little bit more about the contract situation and what could come next:

“I’ve heard reliably that the Ravens made an offer at some point in 2021 that matched the $43 million per that Josh Allen got in Buffalo, so I don’t think raw dollars are the problem.“Is it the guarantee structure? The Ravens have kept the circle tight on the negotiation, so it’s tough to tell anything for sure, and there are ways to work around the funding rules to prevent having to put so much money in escrow, so there is room for creativity. “But until this one is done, it isn’t done. And it certainly would be strange to have a 25-year-old former MVP quarterback, one around whom an entire system has been built, playing out a contract year.”

So this could have been sorted out, but for whatever reason, it still isn’t, and it could well be that both sides are going to have to pay for it if this isn’t sorted by the time the Ravens start their season against the New York Jets.